1975 Celica brings back happy family memories
Edwin Rivera was born in the Philippines and currently lives in Daly City. He attended San Jose State University and is currently working for CIBT in San Francisco as an Embassy Liaison.
“Celico” is a Latin word that means “from the heavens” or “celestial.” That is what a simple, classic Japanese import car, the Toyota Celica, means to me. My kinship with the Celica started when my family was living in the Philippines, when my father was still alive. He had owned a couple of cars, like a VW Beetle and a Ford Escort, but my personal favorite (and my father’s) was his red 1975 Toyota Celica.
Before he died at the age of 33, I can vividly recall my father taking me for joy rides in the Celica on Sunday mornings. It was always just the two of us, running errands and stopping for brunch. I would reverently wash the car on the weekends, dreaming about one day driving my father’s car to different places and adventures.
When he died in the 1980s, my family left for the United States. We sold everything, even my father’s car. It was hard to let go and start a new life abroad, but I’ve always felt that my father was watching out for us in heaven. With this thought in mind, I set my sights on one day owning a first generation Toyota Celica to honor the memory of my father. I never had any doubts that one day I would own one.
As I started to learn more about the history of the Celica, my passion to find one grew. The Celica was released in the 1970s as a “cut down” version of the Toyota supercar 2000GT. It is a relatively affordable sports car that is considered a classic because it was quite revolutionary during that time, comparable to the Datsun 510 and 240Z and the Mazda RX-7.
After graduating from college and starting my career, I began scouring classified ads for first generation Celicas. Invariably, the first generation GT models are very rare and it’s hard to find one for sale locally.
My search ended on a spring day in 2006 while driving back from lunch with colleagues. I can usually spot a Celica from a distance wherever I go. On my way back to work at Stanford University, while driving on Middlefield Road, I spotted one in an open garage.
An elderly lady was attending to it when I pulled over and kindly inquired about the car. According to her, it was her late husband’s and had been sitting in the garage for the past nine years. He was the original owner of the car. They didn’t have any children, so it was never passed on to or driven by anybody but him until he died.
According to the lady, the car needed a new fuel pump and exhaust system. The paint and detailing needed to be redone as well, but aside from that everything was in pristine original condition. The original 20R engine had only 97,000 miles on it, and it ran well. Even the radio was still working.
After talking to her at length, she was happy that someone actually took an interest in the old Japanese car. Knowing the sentimental value that the car had for her, I politely asked if she had ever thought of selling. I also shared with her my affinity for the car, and how it was my lifelong dream to own one, just like my late father. Amazingly, she gave me a reasonable figure and within a few hours the deal was done. I finally bought a 1975 first generation Celica!
The first time I drove it was overwhelming. This car has great sentimental value to me. Owning it is something that I had dreamed about my whole life, ever since my father passed away. I guess he really is looking out for me in heaven.